Interview with Vincent Chase

Q: What about this project made you want to put your own money into it and risk everything?

This is a movie I wanted to make for years and it became evident that the only way to make it happen was to do it myself. In my career I always go after the things I want, even though my agent thinks I'm crazy, my lawyers think I'm crazy, my manager thinks I'm crazy, and most of my family thinks I'm crazy. But, you only live once and have to do things that you believe in. I feel we have a movie here that is special.

Q: What about Pablo Escobar do you find so fascinating?

Pablo Escobar was an outlaw who terrorized a whole country while remaining the biggest philanthropist his people has ever known. In 2007, what could possibly evoke more of a stir than to explore the humanity of that kind of evil?

Q: Do you worry about glamorizing a killer?

No. This is not action film. It's a real story based on a real person. Even the most monstrous people on earth have a human side to them that can shed light on all of us.

Q: How do you prepare to play a ruthless killer?

The first thing I learned as an actor is that you can't judge your character. Pablo Escobar didn't wake up every day and think "I'm a ruthless bastard with no morals, no values." He had values. He built churches, he gave to the poor, he had his causes. In his mind the end justified the means.

Q: You shot the film in Spanish. Why?

It was Billy's idea to shoot the film in Spanish. At first, I was nervous about it since I don't speak Spanish but I felt it was best way to make it as authentic as possible. So I grabbed a dialect coach and worked on my accent. Hopefully, people will buy it.

Q: How else did you prepare for the role?

The initial idea was that I was going to put on about 100 pounds and I was prepared to do that. But when the budget got cut I didn't have time. So instead I sat through three hours of makeup a day and went with the fat suit. It was a slight compromise but you have to work with what you got.

Q: Is this your Oscar?

I've never gone into movie thinking about awards. You work hard, do your best, and hopefully people will appreciate it. And if awards come it will be nice.